How do you actually network?
How can I actually get a person at the firm to recommend me/push my resume? Would I have to prove myself first? If so, how?
Everyone tells you that’s the goal, but no one actually ever tells you how to do it. I’ve had quite a couple of calls already, however I’m having a hard time transitioning the conversation from “tell me about your journey to IB” to “please help me get in”. How can you create a true connection with them if your ultimate goal is to just get their help?
Just ask “yo can u refer me innit?”
Highkey if someone said it to me like this 9/10 I would
Seriously am I that 1/10 or where is my referral??
Successful networking is the byproduct of good conversation making and the ability to close (soft close). The first step is making sure you've done a great job of conversing. Be interesting. Be interested. Be inquisitive. Be PREPARED (thoroughly review companies website. Know their strengths, their numbers. ) Explain why you're interested in the industry, the company, the career path, the role. Be likeable / conversational.
Second part is about understanding the process. They know why you're reaching out. If they like you based on above, they will help you. However most will make you work for it as that's a sign of maturity and business acumen. Ultimately you need to close. Closing is about getting to the next step. So you need to understand what the steps are and how to get there. Soft sell questions are helpful. Things like, "Mr. X, I really appreciate your time and am even more excited to learn about career paths now that we've spoken. If you were me, what would be the best next steps to position myself as a competitive candidate? Is there someone in particular I should be speaking with? How does recruiting work?" Trust me, if they like you, they'll fill in the blanks and, at the very least, refer you to the right area. It's not rocket science. Just the natural conclusion of a good conversation.
It may take several calls within the same firm to get where you need to go. They may be scattered about the org chart or more hierarchical. You may speak to X and s/he thinks you'd be better positioned for a different department and refer you there. They may send you straight up the line. Depends on you.
What an awesome and thoughtful response
Well said. What I've also found helpful is asking about their hobbies/interests outside of work. This makes it a whole lot easier to follow up with a note at some point down the line. A good example of this is finding out if they have a favorite sports team. Let's say they like the Yankees, you can reach out to them after a big win, or if something significant happens with the team (e.g., "Hey did you catch that Yankee game the other night, what a comeback!"). Then you can segue into more formal "work/job opportunity" conversation from there. I found this to be a more effective approach to follow-up emails, rather than being so straight forward from the start. After the initial coffee chat, sometimes a more informal email approach is a better way to grab their attention.
Thank you for the detailed advice on networking!
I have a few questions about some aspects of networking. How do you decide who to network with within a company? Should I focus on recruiters, or is it better to connect with people in specific roles or departments?
Also, what's your approach to maintaining connections after the initial conversation? How long should I wait before following up to keep the relationship active?
Lastly, do you recommend starting the networking process before or after submitting an application for a position?
Thanks again for sharing your insights!
This is a very thoughtful response. Soft selling and closing feel natural and generally receive good reactions, no matter the interviewer's personality.
Honestly a combination of things, mainly numbers, likability, and a bit of luck. For some context, I'm non-diverse, semi-target, and got an offer at a top BB solely from brute force networking.
What I learned is that networking is totally a numbers game. Plain and simple. Now I don't mean you need ten people to refer you to HR, but rather that you need to be taking on a shit ton of calls to land a couple of people who will bat for you. I probably spoke to 20-30 people I found by LinkedIn (and cold emailed) and out of that bunch, 3 liked me enough to stay in touch and send my resume to HR. I didn't do anything extraordinary on the phone. I'm decently extroverted and held a good conversation since I researched them and asked knowledgeable questions, and I was able to naturally pivot the conversation to my desire to work for the firm. You might be thinking, what about the other 17 calls? Frankly, this is why I think luck is involved. It's going to take a couple of solid calls before you find someone who wants to help you. Not everyone is, so take on as many calls as you can to get your name out there and find the right people.
You can increase the chances of getting someone to want to help you out by really taking every call seriously. Come in with a good amount of time spent understanding the role of the person your speaking to and unique questions you can ask. Learn from your more mundane chats in regard to what you could’ve done better. Stay in touch with who you speak to, and always ask if there’s anyone else they recommend you speak to. Try and make everyone a “mentor” of sorts, and when time comes for you to apply, they’ll feel more inclined to help you out.
It's a long and tedious process but well worth it. Happy to answer any questions you may have if you want to PM.
Glad everything worked out for you, but I have been doing 20-25 calls a week for the 12 months. Not sure if its a brutal hiring environment or if I am doing something wrong if very few have led to any role opportunity.
That's a lot of calls. Have they been translating into referrals?
Almost every call I’ve had had mentioned the economy. One of them said “let’s be honest, banks are laying off bankers left and right, why would they care about recruiting new ones as much”
Most Common advice I’ve been given “keep your head up, the market is though right now”
assuming you aren't on the weekends then, that's like four-five a day, there's no way
Thanks for sharing your experience! It's really insightful to hear about your approach to networking. I have a couple of questions regarding your strategy.
How did you go about choosing the individuals you decided to network with? Did you focus on specific roles, departments, or recruiters? Also, did you typically reach out to these contacts after applying for a position, or did you start networking well before submitting any applications?
I appreciate any further details you can provide on your process. Thanks again!
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